Farmers Stay Silent During Auction So Young Man Can Win the Bid on His Long-Lost Family Farm

Farmers Stay Silent During Auction So Young Man Can Win the Bid on His Long-Lost Family Farm (goodnewsnetwork.org)

This is the kind of shit people did back in the Depression. When mortgage holds would try to sell a farm, everyone in the community showed up and strong armed any serious bidders away. They had the ‘penny auction’ tactic, where farmers would bid absurdly small amounts on farm equipment and land (while glaring intensely) until the auctioneer realized they needed to take what they were getting, or get their legs broken. This kind of stuff saved so many farms, they’d buy off 500+ dollar mortgages (which were huge amounts back then) for less than 100 dollars and give it back to the farm owners.

The lesson to take away is that only direct action and community organizing can help in such dire times.